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 The Church of a Lesser God

I submit this to you for correction and adjustment. I must admit to my being weary of proof reading this on my own but also feeling the necessity to get out what my heart tells me.

Please feel free to write me to correct me/it.Thanks.

Orm

The Church of a Lesser God


In trying to relate what we presently are witnessing in “new church” leadership to something or some experience we know of, the movie “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" comes to mind and seems to fill the bill for me. In the movie, while the people slept their identity was stripped from them.

Many churches have become the new training ground for “change agents/facilitators” of an “alien” pragmatism purposed to persuade; an “angel of light” environment, not of God but of human reasoning. Left unexposed and unabated, it will destroy faith in God of the child of God; faith being replaced with “honest doubt”, methodically introduced by consensus.... while the people slept.

Having gotten sucked up into a "seeker-sensitive", gospel for the building of leadership to further propagate its corporate, evil, disposition.- evil, as in, "worthless", this new age “body snatching” church is what I am calling, “a church of a lesser god” and is presently growing like a fast cancer….. while the people slept.

"…………………… when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8 (NASB-U) seems to be coming into fruition.

This “worthless”, iniquitous, leadership seeks to establish honest doubt in its hearers to manipulate them so that they might become practitioners of the same deception by which they were deceived; practitioners of a snare; a “gospel of a lesser god”; one with roots in occult enticements, promoting a global system thinking some liken to the rebuilding of the Tower of Babel.

In the exercise of praxis, the “wannabe practitioner” is advised-instructed to avoid confrontation/debate with those of the “old ways of life” per Jer. 6.16; they are to be rejected on the grounds of absolutism. The “old ways” is antithetical to the new way of change by pragmatism. The question now begs asking is “Change from what, to what”? Having that answered is why all such “Old timers” who resist the “change process” will be ostracized/vilified from their midst. They will see it for “what” it is:

“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits [function]” Daniel 11:32 (KJV) [emphasis added]


This NAC/CGM [New Age Church/Church Growth Movement] seeks to change: “It is written “- “It is finished” to “that’s only your opinion of what the Bible states”. This done for the sole purpose of creating doubt in the minds of those who believe in the absolutes of “It is written” –“It is finished”. Those not sufficiently instructed by the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ unto intimacy with the Father, will be moved. It is inevitable.

Gospel text becomes something to be avoided if it cannot be manipulated to serve their agenda. The old way greatly offends this new "higher level thinking" because of the absolutes found within its precepts. The Gospel exposes the [evil] folly of this new [old] “systems thinking” theory. To counter, the new way has therefore made itself “broadly” desirable to the world and to shallow “skin faith” Christians, by its willingness to dialogue with it in music, dress, worship and message. The faith of the born again believer is in great peril if he “neglects” his salvation, neglects the pursuit of holiness and this “insidious” cancer gains a foothold in his mind. How shall he escape if he neglects that which was completed in him……cf Hebrews 2:3. Consequently, there is no room for the believer in the “Old Ways” who sees the folly of it all.

“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.” Micah 2:1 (KJV)

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness”, Romans 1:18 (NASB-U)
……..Substitute out the word “unrighteousness” for the word “worthlessness”. It will not change the result.

The absolutes found in Christ; the Gospel of Himself is an offense to the soulish, willfully unlearned, Christian commanded by it to search out what is the riches of His Glory. However, still persuaded by some spiritual conviction deposited in him by the commandment that gnaws at him, he seeks an affirmation that can only be found in a compromise, something whereby he can be made to feel comfortable in his "skin-faith" and thus preserve his “good “Christian” conscience. ……. a “self-preservation” held in conflict. If the “building of consensus” programs are successful and the program to promote “honest doubt” carries the day, faith, however much, or little of it, will evaporate in that individual. As it is written in Mark 8:35 ( KJV) :
“… whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. Therefore, we can say that, “a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways”. James 1:8 He will succumb.

Can a man serve God and mammon? Can a man have faith in God yet have honest doubt about His ways? Can there be stability in the man who is caught up in a de-stabilizing process, however honest his intentions to “win souls for Christ”? Can he really “get along” to “go long”?


“………. having eyes full of *adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart **trained in greed, accursed children; 2 Peter 2:14 (NASB-U)


* “mixture”
** “secular management training”

“…….. as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. “2 Peter 3:16 (NASB-U)


Consequently, it is impossible to have faith in God while retaining “honest doubt” as a new and acceptable way for salvation or for anyone to begin a journey in Him for the purpose of finding union/intimacy in Him. In other words, through the dialectic process, one is guided to dispose of the old thinking of the word of God, i.e., the absolutes concerning the narrow way through Christ Jesus to God for relationship with Him. Upon establishing the cross of Christ as a beginning point that must be accepted by any believer into the system, they then depart from the message of living by it; introducing a new way whereby the individual lives simply by the symbol of it. There is no way within their “systems theory” program whereby spirituality can be measured/tested. Measurements/testings relate solely to progress of “group thought successes involving all participants”. …. “Unity of thought through practice being the goal.”


The student of this new way must be willing to learn to adjust/reject any old, “outdated”, established religious “ways of Life” in order to get along with those who have different, little, worldly, or none at all, religious doctrine[s] established in them. Moreover, this for the sake of establishing relationships--- the primary objective of group processes. Now, if I have no knowledge of what it means to die to self, can I not then be guided to go along with the ideas “reasonably” presented?... ideas of unity, of course. This may require having private sessions with the more learned of the group.
My future servant hood does not require dying to self but rather having my senses trained in sensibilities concerning “felt needs” of others and how I can relieve their suffering. ….which, in the process, will make me feel good.
Can this be anything but a “Christian speak sociology classroom”? Satan’s lie to Eve was, “You shall not surely die” that implanted the doubt in her because she had no reference to what death meant? Are these not the same words spoken to the church while they slept: “Hath God not said” “love your neighbor as yourself”….while purposely excluding the rest of the commandment to Love God first? Can this method be less than what a cult might use to snare the unwary/innocent? --- And through [written contract] commitment to this church by pragmatic consensus, the soulish/ignorant/innocent willingly enter into this bondage that will destroy their faith in God per the cross of Calvary unto sonship with the Father.

"……………….when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8 (NASB-U)

That is a good question that needs to be asked now. Will He find faith on the Earth? To this new leadership I would say: "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. Luke 17:2 (NASB-U)

While keeping the definition of evil to also mean “worthless” or “worthlessness”:

Jesus prayed: John 17:14-21 (KJV)
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word……….

Where is the hate for this new “Praxis church” of the world? There is none. The world loves it because it is from the world and of the world and therefore is no threat to the world. It is the church of the world, a “corporate wolf in spiritual sheep’s” clothing and we know that the ways of the world are “worthless” to the kingdom of God regardless of how well the word of God is re-packaged to accommodate an “ever changing society”. In this case it is a church that seeks to sanitize the near future rule of anti-Christ. Satan has in this new consensus driven church a willing accomplice by the devilry of soulishness, a religious brotherhood to further his ambitions; one that will either worship him or die. One way or another the “self” of the Christian will see its day in death or perish eternally.

The desire of Father: ……………. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:21

Me, You, Jesus and Father are intended, by Father, to be in union. We may perhaps see things differently in the area of homiletics but if we, who truly seek intimacy with Him find ourselves at a theological impasse what must be the solution if all our desire is centered in the pursuit of Holy union with Father? There can be no impasse in this if Holy Spirit is our instructor. Impasse is born from ignorance or conceit, steeped in agenda or stoicism. Does not and should not His Love affect us in this matter if our objective is truly Him? He gives His love to draw us to Him. If there is an agenda or indifference, then is not the Holy Spirit of Himself, quenched?

How is His Love received, do we know? Have we received it? Are not these the questions needed to asked…and answered, by us? If we cannot resolve the issues with His Love we will not quench His Spirit by our own desire to be right and to be in control? The problem does not lie with Him but the solution lies in our love to Him that we submit to each other as equals in Him; by walking in the Light as He is in the Light BUT! “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3 (KJV) And………..….Can two walk together if one isn’t walking in the light of the beam from the Throne of Grace? Who judges but God the one who is not in the light? But what then should our “plumb line” be if not the Gospel of Jesus Christ presented us in pure form, without adulteration.

“………….let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written,
"That You may BE JUSTIFIED IN Your words,
And prevail when You are judged." Romans 3:4 (NASB-U)

My words should reflect the unadulterated understanding of the Father that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

The Kingdom of God suffers violence but only on an individual basis..NOT a corporate one. The corporate will always be affected by the individuals who make up the corporate body and in this case the corporate Body of Christ is being affected……. Will He find faith when He returns? Will the spiritual corporation be full of Him? History reveals it will not! Few there by who will enter.

It was P.T.Forsyth who said that the Church of Jesus Christ is a slow growing Church. I believe that also. I believe I see why and it is frightening to me. However, Jesus said this that brings comfort inasmuch as He has allowed me to see it and desires that I become as the few, whoever they may be:

"For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:14 (NASB-U)

In this is violence for the believer and he must overcome and he will overcome, but only by the significance of the blood of the Lamb in his life…...and not by some process/program.


Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter opens; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out. And when he puts forth his own sheep he goes before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. John 10:1-5 (KJV)



God seeks those who are willing to die to self and not be manipulated by man but will judge themselves and be willing to be rectified by His unadulterated Word.
“…………. I urge you to reaffirm your love for Him. 2 Cor. 2:8 (NASB-U)

“………….He, the Holy Spirit, will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come”’. John 16:13 (KJV)

…………………..And these things are here……good and bad, wheat and tares.


Indeed, that which either of us says of the message of the word should never be repulsive to the other unless it crosses over into purposeful error to our understanding of it; something that smacks of agenda; smacks of anti-Christ or… “purpose”.

In this, the one who adheres to the old ways will be the one repulsed by this new consensus church. The old ways are seen as the agenda that cannot be tolerated in their new [old] idea and plan for global unity. The old ways are incompatible. They are an unacceptable restriction in this new praxis. Scripture has been re-written to ‘energize’ this new view. This new age thinking, “lesser church”, seeks to want to change “times and seasons” by its agenda ridden message and its programmed manipulation of people. Their message of Christ is distorted and made shallow and the agenda is man [self] centered, of themselves, promoting “worthlessness” to who could otherwise be “becoming sons” of the Father, binding them before hand, by written contract, to a soulish aggrandizement---- all in the name of Jesus mind you, but certainly not for His sake. There will be no “bliss” for the one in his willful ignorance. May I remind you again of this scripture; "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble. Luke 17:2 (NASB-U)

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31 (NASB-U)

Assuming we have taken into ourselves the absolutes of Christ Jesus, His word says we must learn to embrace them more, submitting to one another for Jesus’ sake [not ours] and for the furthering of our union with Him in the Father, whose absolutes will not deny us. That is the Kingdom of God experience. If we as individuals determinately enter into the great commandment, will Father not give us the capacity to love His LOVE, as the Body of Christ? Will this not be His intended Church, arrived at in the sanctified/proper way, by the pursuit of His Holiness? This I see as an upward movement unto Him who, per the great commandment, has set us free if we take His yoke upon us as opposed to putting on a human yoke of compromise that binds us to a false Christian agenda; a “purpose driven” agenda of promoting “honest doubt” in the minds of the saved and would be saved souls for the establishing of a organism “purposed” to get along with the world. In this consensus process will be found the perverting/destroying of the understanding of the Kingdom of God, found in Christ alone through the “impartation” of His life. [See the attached article] It will be no longer be His Life brought into the light, but a program that will bring about a so-called Christian unity between the believer and the unbeliever. Can this ever be a church Jesus Christ is returning for? One without spot or wrinkle? Will there be unbelievers in Heaven? I don’t think so. How about Christians full of “honest doubt” instead of faith?..No-no.

All of this is substituted out by this “church of a lesser god” that can only give as its excuse for boasting of its success the “numbers” of converts it takes into itself, all in the name of Jesus, mind you. This is downward movement, away from God and His purposed union with us. Paul admonishes us:

"See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." Col. 2:8 (NASB-U)

…”principles of the world” = “the way of compromise”.
See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men's ideas of the material *[corporate] rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah). Col.2.8 [AMP]
*emphasis added.

Phillips translation renders it as:

Be careful that nobody spoils your faith through intellectualism or high-sounding nonsense. Such stuff is at best founded on men's ideas of the nature of the world and disregards Christ!


And then Peter says:

“…. ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV)


Indeed, He has called us out, but where is this “peculiar people” to be found in this “new higher thinking” church? Alas and alac, where is the church with this peculiar people whose souls are made alive unto the Father!!? Where is the example of peculiar-ness in the music, worship, message, leadership, --- and especially the lives of those who wish to get along to go along and/but don’t mention the name of Jesus outside the doors of their lair or even in it, for fear of being found out they have little or no knowledge of Him; they knowingly are aware of their lack that reveals them to themselves and thus they disassociate themselves from anyone who may speak with more knowledge than they the things of God; those true to Christ who by their conversation expose their lack and thus their resentment…. except of course in a corporate religious environment where they can hide behind the show of “worshiptainment”, where everybody has to get along and display their religion for the Lord.... Peer pressure, you know.
And then there are those few who may have a true relationship with the Lord but one would never be able to tell because they conceal it under a basket for fear of offending the unbelief in others as they are told they will do if they revealed the absolutes of the true light within them. “We must all get along” is the theme. Consequently, “fishing stories or the ball games” are the conversations of the day out in the lobby instead of “priestly” discussions/testimonies concerning the activity of the Lord in their daily lives.



Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Jeremiah 6:16 (KJV)

When will we wake up to realize we have strayed far from the old “saving way”; far out of the path of the beam of light from the Throne of Grace?
But, “There is a way which seems right unto a man………….”. (Proverbs 14:12)
And man, compelled by consensus to be loosed from his moorings to the Rock , and because he is by nature still a worshipper will embrace this “church of a lesser god” and the end of it all will be:
"……………………. he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand." (Isaiah 44:18)

Frightening, this.



………………….There will be more to come, I am sure.


In Jesus and for His sake,

Orm





 2006/8/6 12:01









 Re: The Church of a Lesser God

In light of todays "Purpose Driven" church, one could easily think this is one them.

Pay particular attention to Page 10


http://net.iofc.org/storage/public/newsletters/us/28-breakthroughs0505.pdf



Orm

 2006/8/7 9:00





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